Nearly 65% of Sikkim’s Lhonak Lake, which is around 105 hectares, has been drained after a cloudburst caused the lake to overflow and trigger flash floods in the Teesta River. Satellite images released by ISRO show significant changes in the volume of water in the lake. Pictures taken before and after the incident reveal that the lake went from holding 162.7 hectares on September 17 to 167.4 hectares on September 28. However, an image captured after the cloudburst and flash flood shows the lake reduced by more than half, with only an estimated 60.3 hectares of water remaining. The floods have resulted in at least eight deaths and several people missing, including 23 soldiers. Rescue operations are underway by the Army and local officials. The heavy rainfall in Sikkim has also caused damage to public property, including a dam at Chungthang, the state’s largest hydropower project. Parts of the National Highway and other roads have been washed away or damaged, making access to various districts extremely difficult. The overflowing Teesta River has also led to catastrophic floods in Mangan district. Relief operations are being carried out, and the Chief Minister of Sikkim, Prem Singh Tamang, has received assurance of support from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sat. Oct 12th, 2024
